1986's "Manhunter" was a competent but unremarkable adaptation of Thomas Harris' 1981 novel "Red Dragon" -- itself a competent
but unremarkable psychological thriller that introduced the world to Hannibal Lecter. Lecter had a small part in the book, and in Michael Mann's film, where he was chillingly portrayed by Brian Cox (recently of "Super Troopers" and "The Rookie" ). Lecter resonated, though, and Harris' sequel, "The Silence of the Lambs," gave him a meatier (sorry) role, even though he was serving essentially the same function of helping the FBI catch a killer while messing with an agent's mind. The film "Silence of the Lambs" (1991) won Anthony Hopkins an Oscar and made Hannibal Lecter a cultural icon, soon to be parodied and imitated by countless other films. That response prompted Harris to write a third book, this time called "Hannibal" and focusing a great deal on its title character.
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